Sunday, September 4, 2016

Florida Atlantic outlasts Southern Illinois 38-30

Jason Driskel passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, and Florida Atlantic scored 17 consecutive points in the second half to beat Southern Illinois 38-30 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

Driskel's 2-yard run on fourth-and-goal capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive out of halftime and gave Florida Atlantic a four-point lead. After a Southern Illinois punt, Driskel found Tyler Cameron for a 4-yard score. Greg Joseph's 40-yard field goal made it 38-24 with 10:38 left.

Gregory Howell Jr. rushed for two TDs and 128 yards for Florida Atlantic.

Sam Straub, who replaced Southern Illinois starting quarterback Josh Straughan for one play when Straughan's helmet came off, made the most of his limited opportunity, finding Kyle Newquist for a 20-yard touchdown and cutting the Owls' lead to 38-30 with 2:41 remaining.